5.30.2010

Stormy Monday Show 5-29-10

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Sybil rolled out some foot stompers tonight on the Stormy Show with greats like Nelson Alexander, Blu Lu Barker, Charles Brown and Lena Horne. She also re-introduced us to Cracked Ice and featured Miss Bettye LaVette who was doing her crime right here on the Stormy Show.

So pull up, sit back and let Miss Sybil drive for an hour and show you the scenery on the stormy road.

We've featured just a few of the videos we found for this week's show, but if you really want to check out the digs on these artist you need to see the Stormy Youtube Channel for sweet nuggets of classic Jazz, Blues and Soul.











5.27.2010

Lionel Hampton

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The first Jazz Vibraphone player Lionel Hampton, ("Hamp") worked with a host of musicians too numerous to mention. He played early on with Benny Goodman's Orchestra , making it one of the first interracial bands, and eventually started his own "Lionel Hampton Orchestra." In 1985 the University of Idaho Jazz Festival changed to become the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival,  making it the first and only Jazz fest named for an African American Jazz artist, and it is still growing today.

If you don't yet know this enduring legend, here's a little taste of his lengthy Jazz career; a career which turned him into one of the foundations of Jazz music.






5.25.2010

Stormy Monday Show with guest Bryan Lee

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The Stormy Monday Show was in full swing on Saturday night when I had an opportunity to interview the man that Eric Clapton said was" the best blues player ever."

"Braille Blues Daddy", Bryan Lee has been blind since he was eight years old, but that never stopped him. Playing blues guitar since his teens, his extraordinary talent and a bit of Lady Luck’s blessings helped him land a gig at the Old Absinthe House on Bourbon Street that lasted 15 years; quite a feat for a young Wisconsin man in New Orleans.

I had the pleasure of seeing him at the Beach Shack in Cocoa Beach, Florida a few weeks ago, along with his force, The Blues Power Band. His "Stax" infused blues, mixed in with some New Orleans spice and a twist of Chicago made the show a powerhouse performance not to miss.

He is touring Florida now and shares a glimpse of his life with us on The Stormy Monday Show.





Don't forget to visit my Stormy Youtube Channel for videos of all the great Jazz, Blues and Soul artists featured on the show.









The Stormy Monday Show is produced in conjunction with The Practical Cafe.


5.20.2010

Willie Dixon

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Everything Willie Dixon touched seemed to turn to gold. 

 Known primarily for his songwriting abilities (which were massive) he was also a producer , talent scout and session musician.

Dixon is present on many of Chuck Berry's early Chess recordings revealing himself to be a superb upright bass player and is considered to be one of the key figures in the creation of the Chicago Blues.

He wrote songs for and produced almost all of the early blues players that we know to be legends today: Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, Otis Rush,  Memphis Slim, Sonny Boy Williamson, Koko Taylor , Little Walter, and I could go on and on. 

Willie Dixon made it happen for those players in his 12 years at Chess Records and then later on his own label "Yambo Records". He was a consistent sensation, his songs catching on like a brushfire. In the UK  the Rolling Stones went to the top of the Billboard charts with his composition  "Little Red Rooster" in 1964. The Yardbirds, the Kinks and the Animals soon followed; all covering his tunes. 

Born in Vicksburg Mississippi, Dixon spent his entire life as a tireless ambassador for the preservation and growth of the blues. He said " Blues is the root of all music. Better to keep the root alive, so you'll have better fruit." 

Couple of my favorite videos are below and for a good read: " I  am the Blues:  The Willie Dixon Story" by Willie Dixon and Don Snowden .  

 See you in the Nightlife!







5.19.2010

Stormy Monday Show with Bluesman Joe "Survival" Caruso

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This weekend my guest in the Stormy Monday studio was New Orleans own bluesman Joe "Survival" Caruso.  What a fascinating interview!

Joe took us through his own devastating experience with  Hurricane Katrina, in which he lost everything except for a few photo's (kept dry inside a coffee can) and a waterlogged guitar that he resurrected and still uses today. He discussed his experiences backing  R&B legends  like Ernie K- Doe, Johnny Adams, Johnny Taylor, The Neville Brothers and the time he spent touring Germany with  Buddy Ace. And then he took us along on the joy rides he and his father would take when he was eight; parking across the street from the open doors of the Dew Drop Inn in New Orleans so that  he could hear the music. 

We heard  quite a bit Joe's original music, and I especially liked the very spooky New Orleans song called "Voo Doo Lover" done up on  an acoustic guitar to a scary perfection. Joe tickled our ears with a ripping  John Lee Hooker cover of  "I'm In The Mood" (with the  Boogie Woogie Boo Fay Blues Band helping to singe the walls) and then turned us on to a great R& B artist he backed by the name of Mathilda Jones. (When you hear her it takes you back to a good old barroom sound like you haven't heard in a long time.)

You know it's radio, but we dressed for the radio spotlight. I had on  a  gown and he, after driving for  2 hours, changed from a plaid shirt to  a white shirt with grey stripes to match his grey Stetson hat( which he found a way to keep on while wearing headphones.) That's Nawlin's style radio baby! 

Joe Caruso and I recorded a duet a few months back called "Your Love Is With Me All The Time," which Caruso wrote and he had me play tonight.  You'll be the first to hear it here, but it will be on his next CD and he'll  certainly be back on the show soon. 

Joe "Survival" Caruso is a heck of a nice guy and a splendid talent, and what an honor it was to have him as a guest on the Stormy Monday Show.










Social Media for Musicians by The Practical Cafe
5.10.2010

Lena Horne

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A pretty lady. A classy lady. A strong lady. A down to earth person. A superb entertainer.


This is how we should remember Lena Horne.


She came to prominence in a difficult time for black people , but also at a wonderful time for Jazz music. She had beautiful friendships with such luminaries as Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn.


She was hip. She stood her ground against Hollywood; challenging the way black people were portrayed. And when she had an opportunity to "pass" for Latino, she turned it down flat.


She enjoyed 60 years of entertaining us in films, in clubs, on television. (I just watched a special two days ago, and you've heard her many times on my show.)


May you rest in peace for a job well done Lady. We are forever blessed to have witnessed you.














  





5.09.2010

Buddy Guy

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Buddy Guy is a master bluesman.

Imagine being an inspiration to legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimmie Page, Eric Clapton and I'm sure countless others. He has been called the bridge between the blues and rock and roll, so much so that Jimi Hendrix said that Heaven was lying at Buddy Guy's feet listening to him play guitar.

But Buddy Guy is also a flamboyant entertainer. I remember a quote by Jeff Beck saying that he once saw Guy throw the guitar up in the air and catch it in the same chord, and he was playing the guitar behind his back and picking it with his teeth almost 10 years before Hendrix adopted the moves. When Hendrix got really big Buddy Guy was accused of imitating him, but in reality Hendrix used to cancel his own engagements to go see Buddy Guy!

Guy was born in Leftsworth, Louisiana and is still performing at the age of 73 (See the video below from 2009). But what I love about Guy is his showmanship, his sincere smile and his interaction with the audience. I haven't ever seen a blues singer smile so much. He loves it when you sing along with him, and will often invite you on stage to help out with a tune. He can, and does, hold one note on the guitar for, oh… I counted at least 20 seconds, and that one note is a knockout punch just waiting for your ears to arrive.

Chicago Blues, that's Buddy Guy. He learned to play guitar on a two string diddley bow that he made from scratch. For 10 years one of his labels, Chess, refused to record him because they didn't understand his style and basically used Guy as a session man for recordings on albums for Koko Taylor, Muddy Waters, and Howlin Wolf. His career slumped in the late 1960's while the people he inspired rose to success, but it was revived when Clapton asked him to be in the 24 Nights blues lineup at London's Royal Albert Hall, in the late 80's. Now, Guy is a 5 time Grammy Award winner and has received 23 W.C Handy Awards ( more than any other artist) . He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005, and his acceptance speech was simple, sweet and short “If you don't think you have the blues, just keep living". That’s blues, (and life) Buddy Guy style, and the reason why he is still such an inspiration in the world of music.














5.05.2010

Bonnie Bramlett

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I want to introduce you to a name you may not have heard before, or at least, not heard in a while. Bonnie Bramlett has a powerhouse voice and a knock out performance that has propelled her career since the age of 14. But I'm going let her music speak for itself, and let her voice hypnotize those languid ears. Click on her name to learn more about this great lady of music, and of course, let me know what you think.








5.02.2010

The Stormy Monday Show 5-1-2010

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We've changed up the format of The Stormy Monday Show just a bit. Rather than featuring Jazz, Blues and Soul separately, at the request of our growing international audience, we are now mixing jams from each genre into every show. That means, you get all the best of Jazz, Blues and Soul with every single episode as well as featured pieces on local talent from around the world. 

When you got just about everything you need, you find out your that life just ain't the same without great music and that's what we're about here on the Stormy Monday Show. We rolled it on out with Tuck and Patti, fell to the Fever of Esther Phillips and got to Feeling Good with Nina Simone. And we dropped in a few treats for you too. Check out Ollabelle (who I just love) and (surprise!) the Fine Young Cannibals towards the end of the show. 



And when you're ready to watch all the video treats we dug up, check out our Stormy Monday Youtube Channel;it is FILLED with even more great music, and we add more discoveries to it every week. 











Sybil Gage: NOLA Calling

Sweet Soul Night 3-20-10

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We finally recovered our March 20th show from the deep bowels of radio "technicalities." It was a Sweet Soul Music weekend  and Sybil rolled out the great artists of Soul in a smooth one hour jam fest; featuring James Brown, Sam and Dave Major Lance, Lee Dorsey, Wilson Pickett and many more. It's time to pull up a chair, turn off the cell phone and listen in on the old, old school of Soul jams with Sybil.....








We've put a few of the featured videos below but you can find all the videos of the artists featured on The Stormy Monday Show by visiting Sybil's Stormy Monday Youtube Channel









Podcast produce in conjunction with The Practical Cafe  which handles all of Sybil's Practical Social Media Solutions.


Sybil Gage: NOLA Calling

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